Make Your Own BLE Smart Wall Switch

If you are a smart homemaker and want to wirelessly control lights, you can build your own Bluetooth smart wall switch using a new reference design from Power Integrations. To improve security on both the hardware and software sides of the today’s IoT devices, Samsung has launched its new SE (secure element) solution. Samsung is further exploring IoT with its “Samsung Connect Tag” which offers smart location notifications based on a NB-IoT or Cat.M1 network. You can attach it to a young child’s backpack, a dog’s collar, or even secure your keys so they are never lost.

Two-wire BLE Smart Wall Switch

Here is a two-wire Bluetooth Low Energy smart wall switch which claims to consume less than 500-microA in standby mode. Key applications include wireless lighting control, occupancy and vacancy sensors, motion detectors, wall dimmers and shading controls. The design is based on Power Integrations’ DER-622 LinkSwitch-TN2 offline switcher ICs, which have quiescent consumption of less than 75-microA. To help developers, DER-622 can be freely downloaded from the company website. It contains the power supply specification, schematic, bill of materials, transformer documentation, printed circuit layout, and performance data. Click here to download the reference design.

A New Secure Element For IoT

Samsung’s new integrated Secure Element (SE) solution for Internet of Things (IoT) applications is said to offer a turn-key service for both hardware and software needs. The solution is hoped to help chip manufacturers to easily implement reliable security features across both hardware and software, and bring innovative products and services to market faster. At the hardware level, the SE has a stop and reset itself function which activates at the moment it detects abnormal activity, thus protecting the sensitive data stored within the security IC from being accessed by hackers. On the software side, the dedicated software for the SE supports personal verification, security key storage, and encoding and decoding. It also allows key and authentication information to be safely transferred between devices, servers and clouds. Further, the product is said to be the industry’s first solution to have embedded flash (eFlash) using 45 nm process node which allows faster data processing and more flexible software modifications compared to traditional EEPROMs. Read more.

A New Way to Keep Track of Kids, Pets And Keys

Samsung Electronics is launching the Samsung Connect Tag – a new way to keep track of almost everything that matters in life. You can attach it to a young child’s backpack so his or her whereabouts can be tracked, clip it to a dog’s collar, or to secure the keys so they are never lost. The ‘Samsung Connect Tag’ offers smart location notifications based on NB-IoT or Cat.M1 network. Connect Tag measures just 4.21 x 1.19 centimeters and its battery can last for up to seven days on a single charge. Furthermore, Samsung says that the tag will be tied to the SmartThings ecosystem, working in conjunction with the user’s smart home appliances through Works with SmartThings. Read more.